In the laboratories of hospitals, in laboratories engaged in biological research and in educational institutions where students engage in biological studies, there is a need for facilities where specimens can be dissected and examined. It has been common to use dissecting boards made of wood and the specimens to be dissected may be pinned down to the surface of the board. In this condition the specimens may be cut with sharp knives against the wood of the board.
The specimens usually come in an untidy condition and contain moisture, blood or fluids of various kinds, so that when the specimens are cut during the course of dissection, the blood, juices or the like are absorbed into the wood of the board and cannot be completely extracted when the board is cleaned as by washing. Repeated use of the wood boards quickly results in foul odors and a generally unsanitary condition. The result would be the same if the board were made of any hitherto known material other than wood which gives adequate support to which a specimen could be pinned and which would not dull the delicate surgical knives which are employed in this practice.
Accordingly, objects of this invention are to provide a dissecting board and associated equipment which can be adequately and completely cleaned free from absorbed juices as a result of use, which will permit a specimen to be pinned to it, which will provide adequate support as a background against which cutting may be done, and which will not dull the cutting edge of the knives used in the dissection. Further, it is desired to provide such dissecting equipment which confines liquid and juices issuing from the specimen, and to provide facilities which will permit moving the specimen on the board from place to place without spillage, and which facilitates photography of the specimen.